Navy Blue Straw Crown Pillbox | 1950s Rosettes & Bows

About Pillbox & Diadem Hats

Pillbox Hats

Pillboxes are small oval or round hats with straight vertical sides, a flat top, and no brim. French polo players wore pillboxes with chin ties in the early 1900s. Adrian designed a pillbox for Greta Garbo in 1932, and they became a hit in the U.S. They remained popular into the 1950s and 1960s. Halston designed the iconic pillbox worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore it on the back of her head.

Pillboxes of the 1930s had a medium or low crown and were worn at a tilt, near the forehead, slanting down on one side to the eyebrow.

In the 1950s, they were smaller and usually had shallow crowns. In the early to mid-1960s, pillbox crowns grew larger and taller, and the hats were worn farther back on the head. They faded out of popularity later in the decade.

Diadem Hats

Diadems are an open crowned, brimless ringlet that perches atop the head often decorated with fur, embroidery, bows, flowers or other trims. Online sellers sometimes call this style a “halo hat” because of the halo shape, but hat experts define “halo hats” as something completely different.

The “diadem” was worn in ancient Roman times as a crown or other ancient ornament of royalty. It was comprised of a headband or fillet of silk, linen or wool, decorated with jewels, tied in the back with the ends hanging down. In the 1960s, some diadems had a veil, usually covering the entire head.

From Hatatorium:  An Essential Guide for Hat Collectors, 2nd Edition.  Check out Madge’s blog post on half hats